Be angry!

Text: Ephesians 4:26-27  

Let’s remember what’s happening here in Ephesians 4. Paul has stated a general principle. It is this, “That a Christian should be different from the ungodly world.” Ephesians 4:17, 4:24, 24  Having stated that principle clearly, the Apostle now gives us another specific example of that and he deals with the subject of anger. 

1 The Angry Christian. Be ye angry, and sin not:

Can Christians ever be angry, or should they not be always restrained, and placid and reasonable people? After all the fruits of the spirit include ‘self-control!’ Galatians 5:22-23   So can a Christian be both ‘self-controlled’ and angry at the same time? When and why to be angry. 

• Immorality. And there is no shortage of it in modern society. We see it all the time, – it is thrust in your face, both on the screen and on the street. Expect to see more too. What right-thinking person wouldn’t be angry?
• False religion. How could we not be angry when cults and false religions are leading people into a lost eternity. Jesus certainly was angry with corrupt religion. – cf John 2:13-15  
• Injustice.Like William Wilberforce, who worked to see slavery abolished in Britain, we should be angry when we encounter injustice.
• Sinful behaviour. We certainly shouldn’t tolerate sin, or celebrate it… 

And, If we are truly following in Christ’s steps, then we actually do have a role-model for ‘righteous anger!’ Both in God the Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ.

• The wrath of God. While we are often taught in church about the love of God, and the mercy of God for sinners we must remember that God is angry with our sin, and because he is righteous, sin must always be punished. In Exodus 4:14 God demonstrated his anger against Moses, his own chosen man…  READ:  Hebrews 10:31,  Romans 1:18 , Psalm 7:11  There are many, many more references to the anger/wrath of God. 
• The controlled anger of Jesus, God’s sinless Son.  Again and again we are often told about the loving Jesus, the ‘gentle Jesus, meek and mild’ stereotype. But Jesus was angry! He was constantly angry with the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, and he told them so in now uncertain terms. 

So how do we reconcile the anger of God because of our sinful unrighteous lives, with the love of God who planned our redemption? It is simple yet profound. Thankfully, God is ‘slow to anger and plenteous in mercy.’ God demonstrated both his love and his anger at the cross! His wrath, his righteous anger with our sins was poured out upon his sinless son, mercy extended to us, and God’s justice satisfied. So, to be like Jesus, we MUST be ANGRY with what he is ANGRY with. That way, we can exhibit righteous anger, – temperate anger, self-controlled anger, and do so without sin.  It is to that emphasis that Paul turns next…

2 When to Apply the Brake. and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Now, no sooner has Paul told us that we are to be ‘angry’ – to be deeply unhappy with some circumstances, and experience a sense of righteous indignation,  – that he draws a line which we should not cross. He expresses it in terms of time. Essentially, what Paul is saying here is that we must keep our anger under restraints, so that in our anger we do not sin. We must be self-controlled. There is a very good reason for this, and it comes from the teaching of Christ himself.  Matthew 5:22  

In this passage, Jesus is warning about MURDER – a dreadful sin, the taking away of someone’s life. But to prove murder in court, there must be deliberate intent. Murder begins in the heart. It begins with ANGER. It begins with bitterness and anger and enmity. The H/C insists that God … hates the root of murder, such as envy, hatred, anger, and desire of revenge, and that he regards all these as murder.   Anger festers and grows and gets out of control and can even lead to murder!  

So even when our anger is justified, even when it is deserved, even when it reflects the righteous anger of God with sin, – we must never allow it to consume us until it becomes a sinful act. We must restrain our anger, and keep it under control, and never let the sun go down upon your wrath.

3. The Danger of Unrestrained Anger.  Neither give place to the devil.

Paul warns that unrestrained anger is always an opportunity for the devil to get a foothold, – a ‘place’ either in our lives, or in the church. But there’s an interesting word study here. 

• The danger. The first word that we need to look at is the word place. τόπος (topos). The AV has the correct literal translation.
  • The devil’s place. Allowing anger to go unrestrained in our lives provides a place, a room in our heart for the devil to get a foothold. It is, literally, a ‘dwelling place’ for Satan. And that is spiritually dangerous. But it could reasonably be translated – 
  • The devil’s opportunity. The AMP “And do not give the devil an opportunity to lead you into sin by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harbouring resentment, or cultivating bitterness.” 
• The adversary. The word is διάβολος (diabolos). Some commentators will point out that the word itself need not apply just to Satan, the devil. In 1 Tim. 3:11; 2 Tim. 3:3; Tit. 2:3, that very same work is used to refer to:
  • A slanderer! Someone who spreads gossip, particularly harmful, false gossip about someone else. READ 1 Timothy 3:11   ‘Slanderer’ is ‘diablos.’ There is no doubt that a slanderer is doing the devil’s work, and some people, perhaps even Christians can be busy doing the devil’s work, gossiping, even slandering others. Leviticus 19:16 Proverbs 26:20 But here the word diablos must, I think, refer to…
  • Satan himself. The word in Greek is preceded by the definite article, it is ‘o διάβολος – THE devil. There is this real danger of giving an opportunity for Satan – THE devil to get a foothold in your life. Don’t let him. 

Don’t let your indignation get a grip on your life. Keep anger in check, with the help of the Holy Spirit, whose fruit will be growing in the believer’s life. 

So, what have we learned? It is certainly proper at times to be angry at things, at the right things but that anger should be short lived, and should never be allowed to dominate our lives, and grip our emotions, in case we give the devil the opportunity he seeks to take control of our lives and lead us into sin.  James 1:19  

© Bob McEvoy Feb 2024